Technical Details

The shell is a tall irregular shaped stamping made from 2.9 mm. aluminum alloy sheet metal. A 17 mm. wide rope channel
is formed in the upper portion of one side and a smaller cam channel
lies opposite the first. A hole drilled through both sides of
the cam channel accepts a 5 mm. rivet. The cam and cam spring
are mounted on this rivet. The handle below the cam has a soft
"rubbery" hand grip molded into place. The hand grip
has a slight break to support the index finger. A 16.3 mm.
sling attachment hole is punched below the handle opening, and
an 11.3 mm. hole is punched below and outside the first. A
13.6 by 20.2 mm. oval hole punched through both sides
of the rope channel provides an attachment point just above the
cam, and a 16.2 mm. hole beside it provides a second attachment
point.

The cam is a plated skeletonized steel casting. The cam radius increases from 36 to 57 mm. over an angle of 44°, giving a 30° cam angle. The cam has number of small conical teeth.
The upper teeth are parallel to the top of the cam, but the lower
teeth have their axes sloping downward. The tooth pattern is (3)^3(2)^2(1s1)^3(3)^2
where the "s" stands for a single shallow depression.

A spring-loaded manual safety bar is riveted to the cam. The
normal action of the spring holds the safety against the cam.
When the cam is opened, the shell interferes with the safety bar,
thus preventing opening the cam. If the safety bar is moved away
from the cam (opposing the spring), it will clear the shell and
the cam will open. At full open the safety can be released and
the spring will hold the safety against the back of the shell.
This provides a means of locking the cam open.

The front of ascenders are screened with "FOR ROPE : Ø8-12MM," an up-pointing arrow
above the words "UP", the Kratos Safety for Life logo, "FA 70 002 00" on the left ascender and "FA 70 003 00" on the right, "EN 567:2013CE 120," a book-with-an-"i" icon, "Batch No. 06/16 Serial No.:00216" on the left ascender and "Batch No. 05/16 Serial No.:00304" on the right.

Comments

From a broad perspective, the following ascenders are closely related, with a number of differences (sometimes significant) as indicated:

These are all well-made ascenders and perform much like the
Petzl Ascension. All sharp edges have been
removed. The attachment points are simple holes
in the shell. In some cases, the user may wish to round the lower attachment holes with a Swiss file; even so, I would consider their small radius too
sharp for directly attaching sling ropes. They are probably acceptably
rounded for webbing (or could be made so with a file), but considering the proximity of the attachment
points to the main rope, I would recommend using a small maillon
for most attachments in order to reduce the risk of sling abrasion.
The lower attachment hole could theoretically have the same safety
problems as the one on Clog Version A.
I'm not sure the extra holes are needed at the base - except
for the Petzl Pompe, I've never found
a real need for a second hole, especially ones that are too small for a normal carabiner, but some people like them.

The doubled upper rope attachment hole is located very close to the main
rope. A carabiner through the upper oval attachment hole will
probably drag on the main line. The main purpose for this hole is when using the ascender as a safety on a fixed line. The axis of the oval hole is canted so that when trailing the ascender upward, the ascender pulls free of the rope, but it drags a bit if the used falls. I consider this practice dangerous and cannot recommend it. The single upper rope attachment hole, when used in conjunction with the frame side of the double hole, facilitates using the ascender as a chest ascender as shown in the Fixe Capitan instructions.

This ascender has the same pit lip disadvantage as the Clog and other stamped frame ascenders,
and there is no stamped reinforcing help prevent bending.

The rubber handle is comfortable enough for my large hands,
but I don't climb by gripping ascenders at their handle. I think
it is better to simply grasp the ascender from above and lift
the ascender in the traditional manner (unless, of course, you are one of those people who climbs Frog).

With the exception of those on the Kratos, the cams on these ascenders are very well made.

My left Kratos' cam has a porous casting, and the teeth are not well-formed on either, with small ridged between teeth. The relief "slot" does not penetrate the cam like the slot on the others; instead, it is simply a shallow depression (less than 1 mm. deep). Since the relief grooves on other ascenders accomplish little under most field conditions, it is hard to criticize the Kratos design - why have it at all?

The Kratos safety has a small nubbin that the others lack. I have not found any particular advantage or disadvantage, it's just different.